DESPITE the fact that most of us have no compulsion whatever to sink our teeth into a big, fat underdone steak, the very thought of Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez taking a mouthful of an opposition defender sent most soccer lovers – and even more so, soccer haters – into hysterics.
The latter found instant justification in labelling soccer a game of thugs, wherein the round ball is simply an excuse to get 22 social misfits to release their aggression on each other rather than on the more genteel population.
In an instant (no, sorry, that was his third such similar offence – but then, hat-tricks are his speciality), Suarez transformed the beautiful game into the bite-iful game.
Oh, and it didn’t help that his prior convictions also included an incident of racist abuse against Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.
Mind you, there are thousands who believe that those representing the red side of Manchester deserve every bit of abuse they get, verbal or otherwise.
Abuse, you see, is hard-earned, not lightly bestowed.
Back to that bite
Quite frankly, it’s hard to see what all the fuss is about.
Unlike the actual ripping off of a piece of flesh a-la Mike Tyson or James Dalton (who may or may not have swallowed the morsel), Suarez hardly scratched the skin of his victim/s.
Let it be said, without condoning his actions, that even close-up photos of the damaged areas revealed very little by way of injuries, and for once, the stretcher was not called for.
Assuming he (Suarez) had had all his rabies shots, the evidence would have disappeared in a couple of days.
Now, compare that with two-footed tackles, where the chances are pretty good that legs will be broken and careers ended. And what about a knee on the spine of a Brazilian?
Far, far worse than a tiny taster – yet a yellow card is the usual punishment.
And what about those ‘foot ups’, where studs and temples come into close proximity?
It’s not Suarez’s bite that’s the problem, per se; it’s the fact that he chose to bite.
It’s probably symptomatic of a basic lack of intellect or culture.
Subtle displeasure
More disciplined players would have found other, more subtle ways to heap their displeasure on opponents.
Soccer is after all a contact sport and knocks are accepted as part of the game, within limits.
Some may argue that the game has got too soft, what with all the diving, posturing and preening.
That accusation could never have been made of ex-England midfielder Nobby Styles, part of the team that won the 1966 World Cup.
Styles, you see, played without any front chompers, and at best could have left some bad bruises from his gums.
One of the toughest players ever to don football kit (minus shin pads, in those days, one might add), Styles, in the words of one commentator, didn’t so much tackle people as recycle them for scrap.
In the days when bashing a goalkeeper into the net – ball and all – was considered above board, and when slide tackles from the back were deemed excellent tactical manoeuvres, a little nibble here and there would not have raised much attention.
And a proper ‘Liverpool kiss’ would have hurt far more than Luis’ little peck.
